Hit my 1,000th cover on the line last Saturday and it got me thinking...

I passed a full thousand covers by myself on a busy night at a steakhouse in Omaha. On one hand I felt proud for keeping up, but on the other I wondered if that number means I'm a real chef or just a machine punching tickets. Is grinding through huge numbers the mark of a true cook, or does it just mean you're a decent line worker? What milestone made you stop and question what this job really means?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmajackson16d ago

1000 covers is just a Tuesday for some line cooks. Not sure why you're turning a busy shift into an existential crisis.

kelly.keith15d ago

I read somewhere that a guy who worked at one of those big Vegas buffets said they'd do 3000 covers on a holiday and still have time to complain about the tip out. So yeah, a thousand covers is just noise for some folks. But I guess if you've never been in a kitchen that moves that fast, a busy night can feel like the end of the world. It's all about what you're used to, right?